The ever growing popularity of cycling both on roads and off, for pleasure and commuting, has brought about a large demand for ways to carry various items while riding a bicycle. The best method to carry a medium to large sized load on a bicycle is through the use of pannier (saddle type bags) mounted to rear and/or front racks. With the variations in bicycle geometry and the growth of off road riding there arise two major obstacles in mounting the bag securely to the bicycle rack; adjustability so that it can be made to fit a broad spectrum of bicycles while not interfering with the operation of the bicycle, and a positive lock on system to allow the user to travel in any type of terrain.
The adjustment problem of fitting various sizes of bicycles can be solved easily with the addition of fore and aft movement of the bag. The problem is that this is not easily accomplished in a light weight and easy to use package. All panniers are attached at the top of the rack with some hook mechanism usually metal or plastic, generally in an inverted "J" shape. Multiple mounting holes make for adaptability to various rack types but to move the entire bag one must readjust the bottom mounting hook. This is inconvenient for the cyclist. Further, most prior art panniers do not provide for moving the bottom hook. Those that have permitted movement, used a metal backplate, and were not very versatile.
The mechanism attaching the bottom hook to the bag is also very important. In the prior art, panniers relied on a simple bungee cord and hook mechanism to secure the bag. The problem with the bungee system is that as the bag bounces the bungee stretches and the pannier can easily become detached from the rack, usually ending up in the spokes of the bicycle.
Despite these long existing problems, no satisfactory solution has been advanced previously.